บท 15: A view from below (2)

<<''I'll fight, till from my bones my flesh be hacked.''>>

--William Shakespeare

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A fierce fight raged inside Halib's mind while Fatima and Naasir were being told by him about the state of the reign,

Halib was debating whether Naasir was ready to assume his father's position in serving his liege: "He is 16; it is high time he became a man." he decided after an inner struggle

While Fatima and Naasir were processing their amazement at learning that the royal dynasty that had founded their settlement had been dethroned, Halib stood from his seat and motioned for Naasir to accompany him.

Naasir obeyed his father, left home, and went inside a little shack on their property that had been there since Halib's father's time.

''You are 16 years old, Naasir, aren't you?" Halib inquired.

''Yes and I am Almost 17 father''

Naasir clarified

''Do you know what your name means?'' Halib inquired once more.

Naasir gazed at his father, a blank expression on his face.

''It was your grandfather who chose your name. While campaigning alongside king Corrad,the monarch who ruled before Manfred, I received a knee injury which caused me to live a life through limping. Anyway, when I returned home with my new wound, your grandfather named you Naasir, which means 'He who shields,' in the hope that you would be the shield that would protect your family following my fate . '' Halib then paused for a few seconds to catch his breath and to allow Naasir to consider the meaning of his name carefully , before continuing.

''I believe it is past time for you to seize control of your name; this is the day I will hand over my weapons to you." He then entered the small wooden structure while directing his son to wait outside. After a few minutes of searching , he emerged with a variety of items, which he gently placed on the ground.

Naasir noticed his father pulling out a hammer, a bow and a dagger , both things that he had seen before and had used to hunt with, as well as, much to his surprise, chainmail.

Halib saw the surprise on his son's face and, after a short laugh, told him how he managed to get his hands on such an object.

"These are relics of my past, my own blood.They symbolize your fathers' strength and might." Halib responded without even attempting to hide his pride, and then proceeded by recounting his story.

''The same war that caused me to sustain such damage was also the battle where I obtained such armor. If my memory serves me correctly, it was about 20 years ago. I was working with Conrad during his effort to eliminate a rebel army outside of Naples. We were able to intercept a reinforcement hostile army of 750, which we annihilated. I obtained it as plunder during the subsequent looting. Following the fight, we launched an offensive on Naples. After the gate collapsed, we were ordered to storm the city. I was in the first line, and fought hard managing to even kill six enemies on my own.Unfortunately, I then received a hammer strike to the knee, and as you know still pains me during the cold ''

Naasir fell silent and contemplated his father's deeds in war.

Halib handed over his weapons and chainmail to Naasir, who was silent but smiling.

It was a touching moment as he passed these antique objects along to his son, and one could easily see that both he and his son were proud and delighted that Naasir was the recipient of such an inheritance. They were a symbol of their family's strength and honor, and they were to be carried with great reverence and care.

''Father, I pledge on my name that I will always treat them with respect and will never dishonor them or myself in combat."

Halib's eyes threatened to tear up, but he managed to stop himself from crying. He then hugged his son and assured him that he was more than sure he would never do such things.

Naasir was overcome with emotion when he was hugged, and unlike his father, he was unable to stop his tears from falling. He was determined to bring glory and fame to his family and vowed to do everything in his power to protect them.